Page 76 of The Secret of Secrets

Katherine was not here.

Langdon urged himself to be patient; he had, after all, left Sasha’s apartment immediately upon receiving the note and arrived here quickly. I’m early, he concluded, which in some ways might even be better. I can see them coming, he thought, walking to the railing and peering down at the parking lot far below.

The wind was gusting more fiercely now, and the swaying tower only accentuated Langdon’s already precarious mind-set. As he paced the narrow observation platform that encircled the elevator, he passed the descending spiral staircase, its entrance cordoned off by a No Entry sign and the ominous graphic of a person being blown off the tower. No, thank you.

Langdon found a somewhat sheltered spot to wait, overlooking the woods of Petřín Park. The popular tourist site offered numerous attractions for children, including a secret garden, a rope playground, swingsets, and a carousel, which was just now being uncovered for the day. His eye fell on the Church of St. Lawrence far below, where the ancient pagan sacrificial altar had once existed, and Langdon thought again of the rumors of roaming ghosts and murdered virgins.

Not exactly family-friendly, he mused and raised his gaze higher, tracing the quintessential Prague panorama…the twin spires of Vyšehrad, the Powder Tower, Charles Bridge, and the monolithic St. Vitus Cathedral, surrounded by the sprawling fortification of Prague Castle.

Katherine had lectured in that castle just last night, and Langdon now wondered if perhaps her abduction might in some way relate to something she’d said in her lecture…or in her scientific research. If so, he had no idea what it could be.

Another possibility had occurred to Langdon as well. He was starting to have misgivings about the authenticity of Katherine’s ransom note. Something about the message seemed off. Who are you? Why Petřín Tower? None of it made a lot of rational sense, and it seemed possible that the note was all part of some strange ploy.

“Sir?” a voice said behind him.

Langdon turned to see the young Indian couple. The woman was smiling and holding out her phone to Langdon. “Would you mind taking our photo? I left my selfie stick in the hotel.”

The young man looked apologetic. “Sorry. Instagram honeymoon.”

Langdon gathered himself. “Of course.”

The woman positioned her husband at the railing, joined him, and gave Langdon the all clear. After taking several photos, Langdon was about to return the phone, but the woman asked him to keep shooting while they tried out various poses and expressions.

“She has a lot of followers,” the man said, clearly mortified.

Immortality through fame, Langdon mused as he took photographs, recalling that Shakespeare, Homer, and Horace had all opined that the uniquely human desire to be “famous” was, in fact, the symptom of another uniquely human trait—our fear of death. To be famous meant you would be remembered long after you died…fame a kind of eternal life.

“That should do it!” the woman said, reaching out for her phone. “Let me check them!”

Langdon returned her device, noticing the sea of red notification badges on all her social media apps. The world’s new popularity metric. Digital applause.

She swiped through photos, nodding. “They look perfect!” she gushed. “Thank you!”

Langdon managed a smile. “Congratulations.”

The newlyweds headed back to the elevator, having been up here only long enough to photograph themselves before moving on, most likely to the next photo opportunity. Langdon sometimes sensed the only reason to do anything anymore was to post it for the world to see.

As the elevator doors rumbled open, Langdon was struck by a thought. “Excuse me,” he called to the couple. “Could I ask a small favor?”

They paused in the doorway, holding the door open and looking back at him.

“I was supposed to meet someone here,” Langdon said. “But she never arrived. I lost my phone this morning, and I was wondering if I might use yours to give her a quick call?”

The woman looked as if Langdon had asked to hold her newborn, but after a nudge from her husband, she reluctantly handed over her phone.

With the young couple watching him closely, Langdon quickly dialed the number he had seen repeatedly on the Four Seasons registration desk, and the familiar voice of the hotel manager answered on the first ring.

“Thank you for calling the Four—”

“Good morning, sir,” Langdon interrupted. “This is Robert Langdon. I need to speak to Katherine Solomon immediately. It’s important.”

“Oh, hello, Professor.” The manager’s enthusiasm cooled abruptly. “I don’t believe Dr. Solomon is here. She left the hotel this morning while you were…swimming.”

“She never came back?”

“I haven’t seen her, sir. I’ll try your room.”

As the line to their suite began ringing with no answer, Langdon had to accept the frightening reality that Katherine might not have returned to the hotel this morning. So where did she go?! As he tried to imagine where she could be, an odd thought struck him.